Anatomy of the CVS Flashcards
Where is the heart located?
Middle mediastinum (area between the pleural cavities)
At what vertebral level is the top of the middle mediastinum?
Between T4 and T5
What main type of tissue does not have a blood supply?
Cartilage
What tissues/organs do not receive lymphatic drainage?
Brain + spinal cord
Eyes
Bone marrow
(cartilage?)
What are the 2 main circulations of the CVS?
Pulmonary
Systemic
What 2 other ‘circulations’ are present in the body that are associated with the CVS?
Hepatic portal circulation
Lymphatic circulation
What is the hepatic portal circulation?
Circulation that links the digestive tract directly to the liver (“hepatic”) before continuing to the heart
Describe each of the following for the pulmonary artery:
- origin
- main parts
- relevant anatomical positions
Pulmonary trunk leaves Right ventricle
Trunk splits shortly after, into the left and right pulmonary arteries
Right pulmonary artery passes under aortic arch and behind the superior vena cava
Left pulmonary artery ends up passing behind the pulmonary vein (but this is not that close to the heart)
Describe each of the following for the aorta:
- origin
- main parts
- relevant anatomical positions
Ascending Aorta leaves the left ventricle
Aortic arch - the vessel arches over the right pulmonary artery and continues downwards as the descending aorta
3 arteries leave the Aortic arch at its peak:
- Bracheocephalic artery
- Common Carotid artery
- Left Subclavian artery
What does the bracheocephalic artery continue to form?
Right subclavian & Right common carotid arteries
What is visible when looking at the heart anteriorly?
in the way it sits in the body
Right atrium & ventricle
Left ventricle
What chamber is the base of the heart?
Left atrium
Why does apex mean something different for the heart, than it does for the lungs?
The apex of the heart is at the bottom
Apex of the lungs are at the top
What blood vessels run parallel with the vertebral column?
in the abdominal area
Vena Cava
Descending aorta
Azygos vein
In the recumbent position, the heart lies between what vertebral levels?
T5-T8
Describe the surface anatomy position of the apex of the heart
Left ventricle - 5th left intercostal space in the midclavicular line
Where is the Base of the heart located?
In front of the oesophagus
Moves up and down with breaths
How does the position of the heart different in children?
Higher up and lies more horizontal
What is situs inversus?
congenital condition in which the major visceral organs are reversed or mirrored from their normal positions. The normal arrangement of internal organs is known as situs solitus
What is Situs inversus’s effect on the heart?
Dextrocardia
What lies anteriorly to the heart
Sternum and costal cartilages 4-7
Anterior edges of the lungs and pleurae
Thymic remnants
Sternal angle in line with the aortic arch
What lies posteriorly to the heart?
Oesophagus
Descending aorta
Thoracic vertebrae
What lies laterally to the heart?
Lungs
Phrenic nerve
What lies inferiorly to the heart?
Central tendon of the diaphragm
Describe the different layers of the heart
Endocardium (innermost):
- Epithelium
- Basement memb
- Connective tissue
Myocardium - muscle
Epicardium (outermost):
- CT
- BM
- Visceral pericardium (epicardium epithelium)
How is the serous pericardium similar to the pleura?
Double layered, with (pericardial) in the middle
Inner layer is the epithelial layer of the epicardium (visceral layer of the serous pericardium)
Outer layer is the Parietal layer of the pericardium
What encloses the parietal layer of the serous pericardium?
Fibrous pericardium
Which layer of the heart wall is thinnest and which is thickest?
Endocardium is the thinnest
Myocardium is thickest
Describe the structure of the endocardium
Simple squamous epithelium sitting on basement membrane
Sits on connective tissue
What important structures in the heart are formed from the endocardium?
Valves
Describe the structure of the myocardium
Branching fibres of myocytes (cardiac muscle)
Striated, mononucleate muscle with lots of mitochondria and a rich capillary bed
Muscle bundles in different planes to close down chamber lumen
Intercalated discs connect individual cells:
- Gap junctions
- Desmosomes